The Letter
by Catygirl
Summary: Can a decision made in the future change the past? Any more detail would spoil it for you. Enjoy my new multi-chapter story.
1. Chapter 1

The Letter

_This story takes place in two time periods and to make it easy it switches every time there is a new chapter. Because of this the chapters are small to begin with just to set the scene. Hope that this makes sense, I will be adding notes as I go to explain it. The story is finished and should be updated regularly – assuming real life allows me the time. _

Lieutenant General Samantha Carter sat in the dark room, staring at the device that had determined her life for so many years. She was sitting because she needed to wait for just the right moment. She was sitting alone because if she told anyone what she was planning they'd take her straight to the nearest psychiatric ward or lock her up for wanting to change everything.

She couldn't believe what she was actually planning to do. Never before had she used her Air Force credentials for personal reasons but today was different. She'd been waiting for today for almost six months and had planned for today since that day almost a year ago. Not until that day in May when she'd answered her door to find a young Air Force Captain who'd been sent to give her a message, and her life finally had some meaning after 10 long years.

Sam could still picture that day as if it had happened only that morning, could still picture the young Captain who'd looked so sombre but also terrified with the mission he'd been sent on. She'd opened the door – her legs not as strong as they used to be – looked at the young man's credentials – her eyes not as sharp as they used to be – and invited him in. He'd refused coffee or tea, keen to deliver his message to one of the highest ranking female Generals in the Air Force.

The message had been short but definitely not sweet. It had stated that the man she'd loved for over forty years had died. It was at that precise moment, sitting in her recliner chair in her small house in Colorado Springs, that she'd realised that she may have been alive but she certainly hadn't lived a fulfilled life. Not since she'd last seen Jack, nearly 30 years earlier. She'd never told him how she felt, had never explained to him that for her there would never be anyone else. And at that exact moment she'd realised that she'd made the biggest mistake of her life.

And that was why she was here. Why she was sitting in the gateroom at the SGC. Why she'd ordered everyone else out. Why she'd programmed the computer to dial the gate at the precise time she'd calculated and why she was holding a letter addressed to herself.

She'd warred with herself over whether she should actually undertake this mission. The idea had come, not like the blinding flashes she was used to, but during the nights she'd dreamt so deeply that she could recall every single second of every conversation she'd ever had with someone she couldn't bear to even name. She'd questioned whether it was fair to do this just so she could benefit. However, standing at his grave in Minnesota – he'd refused Arlington, as she'd known he would – she'd decided to act because it wasn't just for her, it was for them, and they'd saved the world many, many times, for cryin' out loud.

The entire plan went against everything she'd ever believed in but, as the gate whirled to life, she decided it was worth it. She walked towards the shimmering ring, punched into a GDO an old code she'd found in the files and, waiting until the allocated time, threw the letter into the wormhole.

Sam stood back as the gate closed. She had no idea whether this one act would change her life but, as she slowly shut her eyes, she truly hoped she'd no longer be here.

**AN: So very short I know, will get the next chapter up tomorrow. Hope you all enjoyed.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Letter **

_Wow, I can't believe the response I have got to this story. You all make me smile! So here is chapter 2 – a change in time from chapter 1 but that should be really obvious to you all. Sorry I can't respond individually to the reviews. I hope to respond to you all soon._

Major Samantha Carter was napping in the control room. She'd put in a long day. No, make that a long few days. She'd returned from the planet where Nirrti had tried to turn her into water and had been told – unsurprisingly – by Janet to take some time off. Unfortunately, that down-time had never materialised as the gate had chosen that particular moment to malfunction. She'd now worked for 36 hours straight, trying to get the gate to speak to the computers. Well, to be accurate, trying to get the computers to send the correct messages to the gate. There was no one else in the room – well, there wouldn't be at 0300 unless a team was due back – so Sam was taking advantage of the control desk, which was at just the right height for laying down her head.

Suddenly, the gate whirled, the klaxons went off, and airmen who'd been in their security rooms rushed through the corridors to their posts in the gateroom. Sam, who'd jumped out of her seat, had quickly taken control, slamming her hand on the iris scanner to close it and calling for Colonel O'Neill to come to the control room. However, she was still alone in the room when the code came through the gate – Her code!

Sam took a step back from the computer to look at the ID again just as _her_ Colonel walked into the room. He looked, quite frankly, pissed off but to Sam he still looked as deliciously handsome as he always looked, especially with his salt-and-pepper hair going everywhere. After allowing herself a nanosecond to imagine running her hands through it, she quickly reported events to her CO.

"Incoming wormhole, Sir. SG-1's… _my_ IDC."

"You figure out a way to create two of you, Carter?" Jack asked, smirking as he looked at Sam.

"No, Sir." A small smile graced Sam's face as she responded to his suggestion.

"So… alternate reality, then." Jack rocked back on his heels. "Trust Hammond to pick this week for his vacation." He quickly ran a hand through his hair, taking care of the task Sam had just imagined herself doing. Sam pouted internally, careful not to let her feelings show.

"Do you want me to open the Iris, Sir?" Sam asked, knowing timing was critical.

"Yeah, you'd better, in case the _you_ back there thinks she's in her own reality and'll come through without waiting for the all clear." Jack gestured with his hands between Sam and the gate, his face clearly displaying the confusion he felt in these situations.

"Yes, Sir." Sam reached down and opened the iris.

Jack turned to the console and pushed the gateroom speaker button. "Stay alert, men. We're not sure who's coming through."

Both officers and the SFs in the gateroom watched the fluctuating wormhole horizon for someone to appear. Sam was particularly unnerved by the idea of another one of her coming to her reality. But no one came through and the tension started to rise. Then, just as Jack looked at Sam, a letter flew through the middle of the wormhole.

Jack began to get a very nasty feeling in his gut and he hated when his gut got feelings. It never boded well. He looked from the letter to Sam with raised eyebrows. "Again?"

Sam merely shrugged at her superior officer, not taking her eyes off the letter that was now lying innocently on the ramp. She felt at that moment that it was like the world had suddenly shifted on its axis and that from now on nothing would ever be the same again.

A Sergeant down below looked up as the gate shut down. "Shall I retrieve the letter, Sir?"

"Yeah," Jack replied grudgingly.

The Sergeant walked up the ramp, leaned over, and picked up the envelope.

"It's addressed to Major Carter, Sir."

"Of course it is!" Jack mumbled, his gut now fully churning. "Well, bring it up here," he barked to the Sergeant, refusing to make eye contact with his Major.

The Sergeant ran through the door and up the stairs then handed the letter to the Colonel.

Jack sighed as he looked at the envelope. This was so not what he needed at 0300 on the day just after he'd almost lost the woman he… NO, he wasn't going to finish that sentence.

"Care to join me in the briefing room, Carter?" Jack asked nonchalantly, although both knew the statement was an order Sam needed to follow, especially as Jack had already passed her and was ascending the stairs before finishing his sentence.

"Yes, Sir," Sam answered as she followed him up the spiral staircase. She had the strangest feeling that maybe she should rip up the letter and never read it.

When Jack got to the top of the stairs he switched the lights on then sat down in his usual position at the head of the table. Sam hesitantly followed him into the briefing room and then slowly sat down to his right, unable to look at him. The letter felt like an unexploded bomb sitting on the table between them. Both had recognised the handwriting on the outside.

"So, Carter… You been sending letters to yourself?"

"No, Sir… it must be..."

"Alternate reality?"

"Maybe… or…"

"Letter from the future," Jack finished for her, remembering the blood-soaked note that had come through the wormhole from him almost two years earlier.

"Yes, Sir. We've seen it before." Sam grimaced, remembering her CO's attitude at being told by himself what to do.

"Yes, Carter, but last time, if you remember, it was a few lines written by me. Brief, short, to the point. Because you believed that in the future you'd have stopped me writing more."

"This..." He pointed to the thick letter in front of them with her name written in her distinct handwriting, "Looks more than a few brief lines."

"Yes, Sir," Sam responded, not sure what else to say. She agreed with him; whatever this was it didn't look like a simple note to tell them to avoid a particular planet.

**AN: So hopefully you will have worked out that this time period is set just after Metamorphosis in Season 6. Hope you are still enjoying the direction the story is going in. Plan to post more tomorrow. **


	3. Chapter 3

**The Letter**

_Ok, so now that you have accepted the premise of the story, let's get to it. This chapter goes forward in time again but is set before chapter 1. All other chapters from this time follow this chapter not chapter 1. I hope that is not too difficult to understand. _

_Everything in italics in this chapter is part of a dream sequence. Enjoy._

Lieutenant General Carter's bedroom was a small room in a small bungalow which was part of a residential housing complex on the outskirts of Colorado Springs. She'd moved in the previous year when she'd had to have a hip replacement. Cassie had offered a room in her own house but Sam was very independent and wanted to keep herself to herself. She'd become something of a recluse ever since Daniel and Vala had moved permanently to Atlantis. Cam had been killed over 15 years earlier, as had Jennifer Hailey, in a botched mission ordered from on high and the one she felt had led to her pulling away from the Air Force. Only she hadn't been allowed to fully leave, given that she was the only one who had actually understood how the gate worked, especially given Colonel Hailey's death. Teal'c was still alive but rarely visited Earth since he'd become a grandfather and then great-grandfather.

After tossing and turning for several hours, Sam had finally fallen into an unnaturally deep sleep. Tomorrow she was being flown – per Jack's final wishes – to Minnesota for his funeral, with Cassie, Daniel and Vala, should they return from Atlantis on time. The dream she was having was one she would re-live again over the next several months but she'd never experience it with such intensity as she did this first time.

_A young girl ran around the side of the cabin and into the arms of one Jack O'Neill, who was dressed for a day of fishing with his fishing pole resting on the grass beside him. _

"_Daddy!" she squealed. "I'm here, I'm really here!" She pointed to the woman who'd followed her towards the pond. "Look! Mommy finally agreed to make me!" _

_Sam was stunned and shocked at the statement made by the small child she was following. A child she recognised from so long ago. _

_The girl in the flowing white dress skipped towards her and held out her hand as if nervous of the reaction she'd get from the woman. "We've been waiting for you, Mommy." _

_Sam looked down at the small hand that showed the possibility of a future that she had forced herself to forget for so many years and tentatively took it. She grasped the hand and went with the girl to the man whom she loved so much. He looked very much like he'd done the only time she'd actually visited the cabin. Her heart ached. _

"_Hey, Carter," he said, lifting the little girl into his arms, "What took ya so long?"_

_Sam reached for him, reached for the love that he represented, for her family. But they evaporated before her eyes. _

Sam turned in her sleep but didn't awaken as if held in sleep.

_In her dream she turned to see a hospital bed and the woman lying in it was her. She wondered idly if she was ill, if this was a way for her subconscious to tell her that she was sick. Then she spotted it, the crib beside the bed and the small child in it. _

"_I was pretty cute, eh, Mom?"_

_Sam whipped around from the vision in front of her to see a young woman of perhaps 20 but, with a closer look, she could see the likeness from the young girl who'd been at the cabin. _

"_Grace," Sam whispered, "Why am I here?"_

"_Oh, Mom, how obvious do I need to make it?!"_

**AN: Very short I know but it is the easiest way to keep the time periods apart. Thanks for all the feedback for chapter 2, it was really appreciated. **


	4. Chapter 4

**The Letter: Chapter 3**

_Sorry for missing yesterday – had a really long day at work. Another short chapter for you but it is back in time to Sam and Jack in the briefing room, with the letter (ok so that sounded a bit too much like cluedo for me) Thanks for all the reviews and favourites. I am really glad that you like the story. Remeber this is season 6.  
_

The envelope was still sitting unopened on the briefing room table when Jonas barrelled into the room.

"What is it? What's happened?" he asked, out of breath following the run he'd made from his room.

Jack groaned inwardly and, not for the first time, wondered if Jonas had been sent to him as punishment for all the wrongs he'd done in his life. "Nothing happened," he finally answered.

"But I heard the klaxons. There was a wormhole... Who came through?" Jonas looked around the room, very confused.

Sam looked at Jack, unsure of what he'd say.

After several moments Jack finally spoke. "It's fine, Jonas, go back to sleep. Just a message from a friend." As he spoke he didn't look at the other man but at Carter, whose eyes were now pleading with him to get rid of Jonas so they could deal with this message together.

Jonas looked between his teammates and spotted the envelope lying between them. 'Something from Sam's father perhaps?' he thought. The Colonel looked more open than Jonas had ever seen him before. He took another moment and glanced between the pair, then turned to leave. He knew that if it was something important he'd be told, but a niggling feeling in his stomach told him that this could be another one of the many times when he'd not be told and when he felt that he didn't really fit in here.

As Jonas took his leave, Sam finally reached over to the envelope and twisted it in her hands. "You ever get really weird feelings, Sir?" She didn't look at Jack immediately but then raised her eyes to meet his as he nodded in answer. "I have one about this, as if this one letter could change my life forever."

There was a heavy pause in the quiet room. "Then don't open it, Carter." Jack shrugged, giving her the option. It was addressed only to her, after all.

"Do you think I should open it?" Sam asked quietly, very unsure about what to do.

Jack sat back in his chair and let it rock a little. "Well, Carter, the way I see it, the person who sent this had to have sent it for a reason."

"Yes, Sir, but that's just it. What reason could lead me – and we both agree it was me – to sending a message like this only to me?"

"You mean why not send an open letter or note like last time?"

"I guess… I mean... this..." Sam indicated the envelope, "Looks planned, prepared. A decision's been made about sending this, Sir."

"I agree, but surely that's even more reason to open it?" Jack pushed gently. He, too, had a feeling in his gut but, after the minutes that had passed since the gate had opened, he couldn't now honestly say it was a bad feeling.

Sam sighed at his logic, annoyed that he wasn't just making the decision for her, which was stupid considering the letter was personally addressed to her.

Jack spoke up again, interrupting Sam's musings. "So, what do you think? You wanna open it or not?"

Sam's nail tweaked the edge of the gummed lip of the envelope, her nerves still getting the better of her. "What if I don't like what's in it?" she whispered.

"That's the risk you run, Carter. You may not like it or it could be something… well… incredible."

"Yeah… maybe…." Sam still held the unopened envelope, feeling the quality of the paper.

"You want me to open it?" Jack asked tentatively, reaching over slowly to possibly take the letter from her fingertips.

Sam laid the envelope on the table, stared at it, and then suddenly, with a flourish, made her decision and ripped open the top.

**AN: So just because you have been nice to me this week, I will see what I can do about another chapter very soon. **


	5. Chapter 5

**The Letter – Chapter 5**

Ok, so I was rather cruel leaving you hanging with chapter 4. So for being wonderful readers and reviewers I am posting 2 chapters tonight – yes that's right **2! **This chapter has gone back to the future and is all part of old Sam's dream.

_Sam turned to face the young lady who was claiming to be her daughter. That thought alone caused her to fall to her knees. Somehow, even in her dream, the action hurt her arthritic joints. "Grace, I don't understand," she mumbled from her position on the ground, where she was finding tears very hard to hold in. _

"_Then follow me." The young woman reached out her hand and touched Sam's forehead. Instantaneously both were transported to the gate room where a young girl waited impatiently at the foot of the ramp. She was rocking on her heels in an action very reminiscent of her father. She stood between two men – Daniel and Teal'c. Sam, standing to the side of the group and unnoticed by those in the montage, let the memories of both men rush over her. She often dreamt of her old team but never like this._

_The gate whooshed to life and the excitement appeared to increase in the room. _

"_They're coming! Look, Mommy and Daddy are coming!" The girl, who could only have been 4 or 5, jumped up and down on the spot, holding the hands of both men. _

_The gate rippled and a small group of people came through. Two voices rang out simultaneously. One was deep and gruff, the voice that had made Sam shiver for more than half her life. The other was a high-pitched squeal. _

"_Daddy!" _

"_Gracie!"_

_The girl separated from her protectors and shot up the ramp to be met by her father, who swept her off her feet. _

_Tears were now rolling down Sam's face as she stood to the side with the older Grace. The young woman, without taking her eyes off the tableau in front of them, said wistfully, "You always let me come to meet Grandpa coming home."_

_Sam turned to see her other self with her father and another SG member, whose name she couldn't place. _

"_Mom, don't you think that Grandpa deserves to meet me?" Older Grace asked as the younger version of herself was put on the ground by her father and then leapt into her grandfather's arms. _

_Sam could barely breathe. Even in her wildest dreams she couldn't have imagined this. Her Family, and with her father's blessing. He was the main reason she'd never allowed her feelings for Jack to overpower her. The shame she'd have felt, the criticism that he'd have launched at her, would have destroyed any relationship she and Jack could have had. Even once he was gone she couldn't get past it. _

"_He knew you loved Dad before you did," Older Grace said from beside her. "Just for the record, he was shocked but he accepted it." _

_Sam laughed wryly. "Only accepted?" she asked sarcastically._

"_Well, to start with, you always said that he started warming to Dad as soon as I was on the way."_

_Sam looked back at the vision in front of her of her father hugging her daughter. "That doesn't surprise me. Dad always wanted more grandkids."_

_Young Grace turned in Jacob's arms. "Grandpa, look! Mommy's ready!"_

_The whole group on the ramp turned to look directly at Sam and Older Grace. _

"_It's about time, Carter!" Jack said, smiling at her. The other Sam moved into Jack's arms. His hand came down over her belly, which, for the first time, Older Sam could see was swollen with a second child. "Wouldn't want you to miss this," he said warmly. He hugged his Sam, as the picture they made in front of Older Sam again disappeared._

**AN: Ok to explain – this is only a dream and doesn't mean that it will happen – so please don't ask why Jacob is alive, it is simply that if this reality were to happen Jacob would know Grace. (Ok I am confusing myself now – hope you are following).**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Letter – Chapter 6**

_So as promised, here is the second chapter for this evening. We are back with Sam and Jack and the letter. This, I fear, will antagonise you all more, but well hey, what's a story without a bit of angst!_

Sam's hands shook as she held the now opened envelope and pulled out the sheets of paper it contained. She took a deep breath and unfolded the pages to get to the front sheet. Sam allowed her eyes to scan the first few lines. She fully intended to share the contents with Jack but she just wanted to get a heads up on what was written first.

"_This letter has been written as a means to an end, in particular, the end of my lonely, unfulfilled and miserable life. To confirm, I, Lieutenant General Samantha Carter, have written it_."

Sam put the letter down abruptly.

"Carter?" Jack asked, concerned after having seen the colour leave her face completely.

Sam stood and suddenly bolted from the room. Jack quickly stood, grabbed the letter, and followed her.

Sam ran unseeing down the corridor. She needed to get away, needed to run from the letter that revealed her future in a clinical and terrifying way. She couldn't read any more.

"CARTER!" Sam could hear Colonel O'Neill calling her as he chased her through the rabbit warren that was the SGC, but she kept going. She needed to find sanctuary and that could only be found in her lab, her precious lab, where the door could be locked and the world kept out. Sam found a stairwell, rejecting the elevator, banged through the door, and headed up the stairs towards level 19 – and her safe space.

Below her she heard the door open.

"Carter… Sam... you know my knees are shot," Jack moaned. "Don't make me climb nine floors to reach you."

Perhaps it was the whine in his voice, the pleading, or just the fact that she knew she was causing him pain, but Sam slowed and finally stopped. Taking a deep breath, she turned back and went to find her CO. She'd always have his back, no matter what the situation, and this was no different. Her need to run, to hide, was strong, but her need to protect him was stronger.

They came together slowly, Jack's eyes full of concern and compassion for this woman whom he cared about so deeply. To him she looked so scared and young that for a second he felt like he was looking at a young girl. They met on a stair between the 27th and 26th floors. The only lighting was the emergency lights that hung on the walls, which were always set to dim unless it was an actual emergency.

"C'mere," was all Jack said, and Sam moved into his arms willingly and broke down.

Minutes passed as Sam clung to him, sobbing her heart out for the woman in the letter who seemed to have achieved everything in her career that was possible and yet described her life as miserable.

Jack stroked Sam's back, her hair, trying to calm her down. He really had no idea what to say and female emotions – especially the emotions of _this_ female – were never easy for him to handle. "What's wrong, Sam?" he finally asked gently, using her first name for once.

"She had everything I could want and it's not enough," Sam sobbed into his collar.

"What did the letter say, Carter?" Jack asked, pulling back from her, but only by a fraction.

"She hated her life. It was all there in those first few lines. She wrote a personal letter to change my life. The world isn't in danger. She sent a letter back through time just for me..._ I_ sent a letter back just for me."

"Did you read on? Does something bad happen?" Jack asked, still stoking her back.

"I don't know. I stopped reading," Sam replied sheepishly.

"Do you want to finish it?" Jack held out the letter he'd grabbed from the table. It was a little crumpled now but would still be able to be read.

"Not here," was all Sam could whisper in reply. She gently took the letter from his hand and gestured for him to follow her to the door just above them.

Jack grabbed her hand before she could move too far away from him. "Sam, there aren't any cameras here. Maybe this is the best place." He shrugged and looked at her intently. He knew that this message, if it was a personal one, could be related to him – to them. He wanted to be able to give comfort and advice without being watched by the rest of the base.

Sam smiled, a disarming smile. "I worked out how to disable the camera in my lab two days after I started working here. C'mon." She took Jack's hand and walked up the stairs. This time he followed without the stress of having to chase her, although he was a little alarmed at the ease at which she'd announced her ability to turn off the camera.

**AN: So another two chapters down, still a long way to go. Hope you are enjoying the journey. Thanks for all the reviews and follows. **


	7. Chapter 7

**The Letter – Chapter 7**

Well thanks so much for the response to yesterday's chapters. The main request was for more, which I am happy to oblige with, so here is chapter 7. We are back in the dream world.

**Previously in The Letter: Older Sam has just seen a vision of 'her family' meeting up in the gateroom and realised that the younger her was pregnant with her second child**.

_As the scene faded away, General Samantha Carter collapsed into the arms of the girl she now believed was her daughter. This was too much, especially to be happening in a dream, one that appeared to be awfully real. _

_Once she'd stopped crying she pulled away from the young woman and cleared her throat. "Okay, Grace. If I'm here to see this, is it to punish me because I didn't marry Jack?"_

"_Oh, Mom, of course not! You're here so that this can all come true." Grace walked away from Sam then turned back again, holding out her hand. "C'mon, you need to see this."_

_Sam watched as Grace walked ahead of her through an open wormhole that appeared then followed her to another planet. _

_As Sam exited the wormhole she could see a small fire in the distance. There were many SGC personnel around the clearing, who were obviously not in any danger as they carried drinks in their hands and were eating various snack foods. It took Sam several moments to place the occasion and, just as she did so, Grace spoke from beside her. _

"_Wow! I've heard about this day all my life! I can't believe I actually get to be here!"_

_Sam turned to face her, very bemused at the younger woman's reaction to being there. "But this is just Cam's 200__th__ gate party. It's not all that exciting."_

"_You're kidding, right?! Dad had this planned all along, even had cake delivered." _

"_General O'Neill was here but nothing happened. We just shared some down time."_

_Grace looked at Sam with such sadness in her eyes. "Oh, Mom, you missed so much." She looked around the site. "C'mon, you're all over here." She grabbed Sam's hand and pulled her through the crowd towards the middle and the fire that was roaring in the pit. Sam did vaguely remember these events but had no idea what Grace was so excited about. As they approached the group of SG-1 members – past and present – Grace stopped to watch. _

"_Can I have your attention?!" Jack got up from the log he'd been perched on with the other, younger her. _

"_Oh, goodie, we didn't miss it!" Grace immediately sat down on a log and pulled Sam down with her. _

_The large group of SGC personnel quietened and waited for Jack to speak. _

"_I'm gonna keep this brief," Jack started, and there was a smattering of laughter from the assembled masses. "Thanks for coming here today. Most of you know why you're here... well, all of you except one." _

_There were a few wolf whistles and catcalls as the younger Sam beside Jack looked up at him. "Jack, what's going on?" she asked quietly but Older Sam could hear her._

"_Well, Sam, this party isn't for Cam… it's our engagement party!"_

"_OUR WHAT?!" both Sam's called out simultaneously._

_Jack pulled his Sam up to stand beside him. "Sam, I love you and have loved you for years. Please agree to marry me." _

_As Older Sam watched the couple embrace she shed a tear. It had been simple, elegant and truthful. Grace was right; she'd missed out on so much. She'd missed out on Jack and the love he clearly felt for her. She turned away from the scene and was surprised to be hugged from behind by the man from whom she'd just turned away. _

"_Hey, Carter," Jack whispered in her ear, sending shivers up and down her spine._

_Sam needed to respond, but how? With his rank or his name? She made her decision quickly. "Hey… Jack."_

"_Good, that's a start," Jack continued to whisper to her. "I was always a safe bet, Carter," he repeated the words from her imagination so long ago on Prometheus, "But all you had to do was say something and I was YOUR safe bet."_

_Sam closed her eyes, regret filling her heart. She turned in his arms to face him and reached up to touch the face of the man she loved, who looked as she remembered him from almost 30 years before. "I was so in love with you," she whispered to him as he held her. "I'm still in love with you." _

_Jack smiled, a lazy smile, as if he knew a secret that she wasn't to know. "I know, Carter." He then kissed her, taking her breath away. _

"_Guys, I know I'm older now but that's just gross!" Grace said, quickly averting her eyes, but she was smiling at the picture they made. _

_They broke apart, Jack with the smile that made Sam's stomach flip, and Sam looking absolutely bewildered. _

_Jack looked at Sam intently. "We can still have this, Sam. All you have to do is put that big brain of yours to good use!"_

"_Uh, uh. That's enough for tonight, Dad." Grace stood, shaking her finger at him like he was a naughty school boy._

"_Okay." Jack shrugged. He turned from Grace to face Sam and cupped her cheek, pushing her grey hair behind her ear. "I'll see you tomorrow night, Carter, I promise. I know things'll be tough at the cabin… but it doesn't have to be that way." He kissed her quickly and moved through the crowd of SGC personnel to the other, younger Sam's side. He took her in his arms and gave her a searing kiss and she happily joined in. As he pulled back the crowd, including Grace and Sam, could hear his question._

"_So, Carter, you wanna marry me?"_

_Both Sam's quietly answered, "Yeah, sure, ya betcha."_

It was to the loud cheering and applause that Sam awoke from her dream.

**AN: Ok so old Sam is now awake and you will get to find out how she comes to the decision for writing the letter, but that is in the next 'future' chapters. I hope we are all following this and continuing to enjoy. Thanks for reading. **


	8. Chapter 8

**The Letter – Chapter 8**

_So one reviewer reliably informs me that you are all coping well with the jumping time periods. So on we go, back to Sam and Jack in the stairwell. _

Sam and Jack made their way through the base from the stairwell, up the elevator, and finally into her lab on Level 19. As Sam had predicted, within a minute she'd fully disabled the cameras but in a way that wouldn't arouse suspicion. However, now in her lab, Sam was unsure what to do. She had to finish the letter. She knew she couldn't back away from it now. She'd laid it down on the desk after disabling the camera and now she was moving around the room methodically, wondering how to tackle the information it contained.

Jack slowly sat down on a stool and watched as his 2IC effectively fell apart in front of his eyes.

"Carter! Take a load off. You're wearing a hole in the floor!"

Sam smiled at him, stopped pacing, and moved to the stool that he'd indicated beside him. They sat side by side like they had on many occasions, the letter positioned between them.

"Can you read it?" Sam asked quietly as she played with the edge of the paper.

"You sure?" Jack asked, edging his hand over to take the letter from her.

Sam looked at him and smiled a teary smile. "I have a feeling this letter's really for both of us."

Jack gulped and shuffled on his stool, his cheeks turning a little pink. "Yeah, I kinda figured as much." He then took the letter from Sam and silently opened it.

Sam reached over and pointed to the second paragraph, indicating where she was up to. Jack quickly scanned the section that had upset her so much, which described her future life as worthless. He'd never ever let his Sam feel that about her life and, if it was the last thing he did, he'd make sure her life was fulfilled and complete.

Jack cleared his throat and began reading.

"_Sam, I'm sending you a simple message. It's a message to follow your heart. I have no knowledge of what point in your life this letter will reach you but I tell you that you will meet the man of your dreams. The purpose of this letter is to ensure you don't throw that dream away_."

Jack nervously cleared his throat yet again, very unsure about the direction of the letter. He hoped _he_ was the man being discussed but what if he wasn't? What if it were someone else that she had yet to meet? Or, perhaps worse, it was Daniel and the letter had come too late now that he had died, ascended, whatever?

But then Sam did something she'd never done before. She crossed their invisible line. She slowly but steadily reached across the small gap between them and picked up Jack's hand. She ran her fingers over his, turned his hand over, and then grasped his hand in hers, their fingers entwined. She didn't look at Jack; she knew she'd crossed the line but she needed his reassurance before he continued. The nerves in her stomach began to increase and, in the few seconds since she'd made the first move, a weight seemed to be sitting on her chest.

Jack was amazed at the gesture and took it for what it was meant. He knew that Sam was taking those feelings out of the room and he also knew that she had the same hope as he did – she wanted him to be her dream man. His chest puffed out and he did the only thing he could while he was still her CO and on base – he squeezed her hand.

Suddenly, to Sam, it felt like the weight of the entire galaxy had been lifted off her shoulders. She turned to Jack and smiled – a huge megawatt Carter smile – and Jack simply smiled back.

Sam inched towards him. "Keep reading, Jack," she said clearly. He'd follow any order she gave.

**AN: So just a little scene to make you all go 'aaahhhh' that's sweet, or maybe AAAAGGGGGHHHHH in frustration. More tomorrow. **


	9. Chapter 9

**The Letter – Chapter 9**

_So, I am really sorry to have missed yesterday – had to work late. But this is a much longer chapter for you. We are back in the future with old Sam who had the dream. This chapter is not a dream sequence but the story of what happened to her when she woke up. (This is a little emotional, just to let you know)_

General Samantha Carter sat quietly on the executive jet that had been hired to transport the select group to Minnesota. Cassie and her husband were on board, as well as Daniel and Vala.

Sam was very proud of Cassie. She'd grown into a renowned medical doctor who'd been headhunted by all the top hospitals in the country. However, Cassie had chosen to work in a community hospital where she now ran a very successful ER. Her husband was a Colonel in the Air Force and had worked at the SGC for many years. He was now the leader of SG-2. Their relationship was helped through the full disclosure they had of each other's lives. Cassie knew what her husband really did when he went to work, and he knew her history.

Daniel looked quite frail and had shocked Sam when he and Vala had stepped through the gate. Vala, on the other hand, didn't really show her age; her hair was still jet black. Many years before she'd declared that 'she'd always be too young to be gray'. Sam smiled at the memory of the other woman. She herself had simply allowed nature to take its course.

Despite the fact that they were flying to a funeral, Sam felt fairly light-minded, the dream she'd had the night before still vivid in her mind. In fact, it hadn't diminished at all since she'd woken up. She could vividly remember her daughter's face and knew without a shadow of a doubt that she'd see Jack again tonight. She couldn't explain it – in fact, had decided not to mention it to her companions – but she knew that last night hadn't been a normal dream. She'd been visited by her daughter, somehow, and Grace and Jack would help her to change her life. Jack wasn't supposed to die alone like this. They were supposed to be together, they were to supposed to have Grace and maybe many other children. Today would be a sad day, it would be a day to regret the choices she'd made, but night would fall, she'd dream again, and Jack would show her the way home.

The plane landed and the funeral directors arrived to pick them up in a gas-guzzling truck similar to the ones Jack had owned many years before. Sam and Daniel exchanged a wry smile – it was so Jack!

"General Carter?" the man asked, approaching Sam without hesitation, which surprised her and made her realise immediately that this man had known Jack.

"Yes."

"General O'Neill's orders, Ma'am. He wanted you to travel to the cabin in his old truck." The man indicated the vehicle.

"Of course he did!" Daniel muttered, already rubbing his sore hip, anticipating the pain he'd be in. "Did he happen to realise that we're all older now and have problems with hips and knees?"

"Doctor Jackson, I presume?" The man in black turned to face Daniel. "General O'Neill said to tell you to, and I quote, 'Suck it up, Danny Boy. Live a little!'"

Vala, Sam and Cassie all laughed and smiled watery smiles at the message left to an indignant Daniel from beyond the grave as they walked over to Jack's old truck. They all got in – some with more difficulty than others – to make the one-hour journey from the private airfield to the cabin.

Once they were underway Sam watched as the forest flew by the window. She could remember Jack's joy and excitement the one and only time she'd accompanied him to his beloved cabin. He'd been as giddy as a school boy as the miles had rolled by and they'd gotten closer and closer to his home away from home.

The journey passed very quickly and soon the truck was lumbering up to the side of the cabin. The sight took Sam's breath away. Not just the beauty of it, but the fact that she could have had all of this. For the last goodness knows how long she could have been here. The pang of regret hit Sam hard in the chest as she stepped out of the truck, but still the hope she'd felt that morning wasn't quashed.

The minister was waiting beside the casket and Sam faltered in her walk towards the lake. Cassie, her husband, Daniel and Vala all followed behind her but all recognised that Sam should be in first position. Daniel and Cassie had spent many hours discussing Sam and Jack and their lack of relationship or even friendship. Both had wondered exactly where everything had gone wrong.

The service was a short affair, just as Jack would have wanted. Just before the casket was to be lowered into the ground, Sam asked for a minute alone with Jack. The others moved away as Sam moved to Jack's side, giving her some privacy.

"Hello, Sir," Sam began. "It wasn't supposed to be this way and somehow I'm going to change it." She felt the tears coming and wanted to finish the service with dignity. "I love you, Jack, and I promise you won't die alone again." Whilst speaking, Sam realised that if any of the others overheard her they'd think she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown but she knew, simply knew, that she'd be able to change their lives.

Before she could start to bawl she indicated for the others to join her and the service was completed with Jack's coffin lowered into the family plot that contained his grandparents and parents. The five people who'd attended the ceremony had been requested by Jack to stay in the cabin overnight. It was late by the time the minister and funeral directors took their leave. The chauffer in black had said he'd be back in the morning to take them back to the airport.

The cabin still smelled of him; he must have always smelled the same. Sam walked around, her hand lightly touching Jack's belongings, his photographs – Charlie, his wife, and his teams from all his time as an Air Force officer. There were memories of everything up to even very recent events where Cassie and her husband had visited with their children. Both were teenagers now but some of the pictures were of them only a couple of years ago.

Vala and Cassie walked into the kitchen area. On the table were several envelopes that looked as if they'd been there for many months.

"Sam, Jack left us some letters," Cassie said, handing Daniel his as he walked towards her, and taking a small one to Sam while keeping one for herself.

"There's also a takeout menu from the local inn," Vala contributed to the discussion, earning a withering look from her beloved.

Sam took her letter and went outside to the deck. It was a very small letter. It looked like it would contain nothing more than a single sheet of paper. She tore it open, almost desperate to feel close to him, to see his memorable scrawl and read what he had to say to her after all this time. She pulled out the thin sheet of paper and devoured its limited content.

_Carter, the cabin is yours. It should have been yours by right as my wife but I never found the courage to ask. I'm sorry I was a coward, Sam. Yours, Jack_.

Sam wiped her eyes. Jack's message had barely taken two lines on the page and yet he'd managed to say so much. He clearly felt the same as she did – he wanted a different ending. Sam took a deep breath. She now felt confident that whatever her dream, or vision, last night was planning, he'd be happy with it.

The others read their letters. Cassie had been left all of Jack's estate except the cabin and a maintenance fund for it, which was going to Sam. Cassie could have cried. She loved Jack as a father and would miss him terribly, but this gift to her through his death would allow both her children to go to good colleges, something she and her husband would never be able to give them.

Daniel had a sad smile on his face when he read his letter. It showed that Jack had spent time meticulously putting together Daniel's research into a manuscript that Jack was giving him permission to publish if he wished. It would transform Daniel's reputation if he wanted and cause academics to seriously question why a very high-ranking, retired General had written a foreword praising the lifelong work of an archaeologist.

There was a letter for Teal'c who'd not been able to come as he wasn't on his home world but in transit to a Jaffa treaty signing. Sam had tried to reach him but had failed.

"Do you want to order some food, Sam?" Cassie asked when she saw Sam coming back into the cabin.

Sam was pulled from her internal ponderings and looked around, almost surprised to see the others. She thought for a second about a meal. "Mmm… yes… but only something light." She was very distracted and feeling the need to sleep – it was a strange feeling, almost unnatural. She knew she needed to eat but she was being called to sleep, called to Grace, and called to Jack. She could resist no longer.

Sam turned to the group. "I think I'll lie down for a bit," she said to no one in particular and didn't make eye contact with any of them. Once she'd turned she also didn't see the concerned looks that followed her from the room and down the corridor to Jack's room.

**AN: So I hope you are all still there. I apologise for the lack of personal response to reviews. As with the last story it is either contact or story – I hope you all agree story is best! However I really do love reading what you think and really appreciate the reviews. **


	10. Chapter 10

**The Letter – Chapter 10**

_Thanks for all the kind reviews. I am so pleased you all enjoyed the last chapter even if it did make some of you cry. This should be the perfect tonic to all that sadness. So we are again in season 6, in Sam's lab with our lovely couple. Enjoy!_

Sam sat in her lab holding the hand of the man she'd loved for two years now. For the first time since the Zatarc admissions she relaxed in Jack's company as he continued to read.

"_At some point in your life, Sam, you'll meet a man who challenges you in every way possible. He's infuriating at times, he's incredibly handsome, and not half as cranky as he'd like you to believe. But here's the problem, Sam – he's your CO. If you're receiving this before meeting Jack O'Neill you might be shocked at the course of action I'm advocating. However, if you've met him I imagine you completely understand what I'm about to tell you_."

Sam looked at the man in question as he finished reading. "She's right, you know," she stated simply.

"She is?" Jack asked, quite blown away by the revelation of the paragraph he'd just read.

Sam smiled at him and nodded. "If someone had told me before I came to the SGC to risk everything for my CO I'd have told them they were crazy. But now..." She shrugged her shoulders and glanced at him, a little unsure of how her revelation had gone down with him.

Jack was well and truly blown away and had absolutely no idea what to say in response. He just squeezed Sam's hand like he was using a vice. It was the only reaction he could give that wouldn't seriously jeopardise their careers. Well, that is if the entire situation hadn't already done that.

"Do you want me to keep reading?" Jack managed to croak out past the lump in his throat.

Sam squeezed his hand back as an affirmative so he cleared his throat and continued.

"_In writing this letter I'm going against every principle I hold dear. When I explain this entire situation it may make you doubt my sanity. However, you're going to be involved in a top-secret agency where science fiction will become your reality. Given my views on changing the past and affecting the future (I told you you'd think I was crazy) I don't plan to tell you much. However, for the first time in my life, I've made a decision to change the past not based on an emergency or in search of a technological advancement but to get what I deserve in my personal life_."

Jack stopped again and looked at Sam. "I wonder what happened and when, 'cause she's right again. You'd never write a letter like this."

"I was thinking the same thing. You only sent that note from the future, we assume, to stop us meeting the Aschen and getting wiped out."

"And in 1969 you were always on at us to make sure we didn't change the future. You didn't even let me tell Michael to skip Vietnam."

They both sat in silence, remembering both events very clearly. Finally, Sam spoke up. "She must have made the decision for a very good reason. Maybe she says more later?" Sam moved closer to Jack, filling the tiny space that had developed during their conversation.

Jack began again.

"_I haven't taken this decision lightly but I've recently been visited by someone of great importance to me. They showed me the folly of my previous decisions and they gave me the means and opportunity to complete this task. _

"_I've been very fortunate to get the chance that few others do, the opportunity to change my life. I do believe in alternate realities and I expect that in one reality I don't take this chance. In another reality this letter won't reach the hands of Samantha Carter. But I do hope that you're reading this and that you act upon what I say._

"_Despite how I began this letter I've led a very privileged life. I've seen and done things that other people in this world would deem to be impossible. You may well do as well, Sam, but believe me, the adventure's incredible and I've made the world a safer place. _

"_However, it has recently been pointed out to me that I didn't need to face my life alone. I had someone who loved me, who wanted me, but I chose to walk away from him when he offered me everything. It's this decision that I wish to implore you to change._"

There was a deafening silence in the small lab and Sam felt the need to fill the void. "So, definitely no intergalactic crisis, then?"

Jack coughed and squirmed; it had been a hard section to read. He finally answered, turning his head to look Sam straight in the eye. "No, just you wanting to be happy," he said, his response full of the emotion he'd felt upon reading the letter and hearing her despair pouring out of every line.

Jack looked at Sam, his incredible 2IC. He wanted to touch her, to hold her. So, in the future he'd found the courage to ask her to be with him and she'd turned him down. That was a bit of a slap in the face. He could understand that, after asking once, he'd not ask again. In fact, he'd probably simply retreat to the cabin and keep out of her way. He assumed that he'd leave the program.

It was that fear of rejection that had stopped him from pushing her after the damned Xanex detector. It was the same fear that had prevented him from sweeping her off her feet when he'd been rescued last month from the moon with Maybourne, and had made kissing her healed lips when she'd stepped from Nirrti's machine a complete no no. To hear that in the Sam in the letter's reality she'd rejected him did concern him. However, he held out hope. The letter was designed to get them together, of this he was certain, and he wasn't going to put up any barriers to the letter doing the job it was intended.

"You want me to keep going?" Jack finally asked after putting his own demons to rest.

"Yeah, I want to know more." Sam paused and squeezed his hand again. "Just for the record, it's really surprising to me that I'd turn you down."

"Yeah?" Jack smirked as Sam waltzed straight over their invisible line. He felt he needed to join her. "Well, the feeling's mutual."

They lingered in the moment, an intimate moment that happened so rarely between them. It was a beautiful minute, one that seemed to expand as their eyes stayed fixed on each other. Sam knew without a doubt that when the sun came up her life would be on a different course. What she'd told him was an absolute fact. There was no way she'd turn him down – ever!

**AN: So I hope this made you all smile. May not be able to post tomorrow but will definitely post over the weekend. **


	11. Chapter 11

**The Letter – Chapter 11**

**Ok, sorry for the delay. Here is chapter 11. We are back to old Sam who is at Jack's cabin where she has just attended his funeral with Daniel, Vala, Cassie and Cassie's husband. Sam has left the others to lie down for a bit. This chapter jumps around in the dream sequence, which are all in italics, hopefully you will be able to follow. Enjoy.**

Sam slowly sat down on Jack's bed, her eyes filling with tears as she looked around the room she'd never stayed in before, despite her desire to do so for nearly four decades. She could see uniquely Jack O'Neill features: the reading glasses lying on the cabinet; the ice-hockey jersey draped over the chair; and his yoyo lying on the bedside table. She realised she'd never be able to be here without him. He shouldn't have left the cabin to her; it was unlikely she'd ever use it. The pull of sleep came over her again and she lay down on top of his bed, his comforter warm around her, and sleep claimed her almost immediately.

"_Hey, Carter." The silky voice beside her made her turn, only she was struggling to turn over. _

"_Grace thought it was best to let you live some of the memories tonight so… welcome to pregnancy!"_

_Sam looked around. They were still at the cabin and the room looked very similar to the one in which she'd fallen asleep. There was still an ice hockey jersey on the chair and his yoyo had pride of place. However, there were some obvious differences – the room looked lived in and not just by two adults. There were small soft toys on some shelves and there was a changing mat and diapers stored in the corner, although possibly not in use at the moment. Then Sam tentatively felt her stomach – they could be in use very soon. _

"_I'm… pregnant…" Sam looked with fright at her protruding stomach then into Jack's gorgeous brown eyes. "With Grace?" she asked._

_Jack smiled, his eyes lazily trailing down her body and then back up again. "No, she's already here. So is our other daughter, Beth. We think this one could be a boy."_

"_Three!" Sam gulped, very unsure of her ability to cope with that many children. _

"_Yup…" Jack's eyes darted down and up again. "And we enjoyed making every one!" He leered at her and waggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Sam to blush furiously. _

"_C'mon, Carter." Jack laughed at her. "You told me last night how you felt. Are you trying to say that you never imagined it… even once?"_

_If it were possible Sam's face got even redder. "Well… uh…" Sam closed her eyes to keep from staring at Jack. She began to giggle. This was ridiculous. She was dreaming. Everything was a dream. Jack wasn't actually here with her so what was the problem in admitting this to him? She stopped giggling, took a deep breath, opened her eyes, stared into his, and replied, "From the moment I met you I've been fantasising about being in bed with you – although me being pregnant didn't figure highly in my thoughts."_

_Jack lay back on the bed and laughed a hearty laugh. "That's my girl!" He reached over and pulled Sam towards him so she could lie with her head on his chest. He used a finger to gently raise her head and kissed her deeply. When he pulled back they were both breathing quickly. Sam hadn't felt that much emotion in many, many years. Jack smiled down at her and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Now close your eyes. You're off on another journey. I'll see you soon."_

_Sam clung onto Jack, initially terrified to let go of him. Her emotions were on a rollercoaster and she needed her rock to stabilise her. However, she did as Jack had instructed and closed her eyes, only to feel him slipping away from her but, despite her desperation, she did let go. She firmly believed that the only way she'd be able to get the life she now craved was to follow her guides in her dreams, so she did as he'd requested. _

_Slowly, Sam could feel things changing. She was no longer lying down but standing. She no longer felt pregnant and had to try very hard not to react to the feeling of loss that assailed her. After a few moments, once she felt everything had stopped moving around her, Sam opened her eyes. It was dark and there were no electric lights. However, she could smell a forest and a fire and hear murmuring voices behind her, so she turned to see where she was. It looked like any number of planets they'd visited during their time on SG-1 or her time on the Hammond, but she couldn't place it. She moved closer to the voices, unsure whether they were friendly or, more importantly, if she could be heard by them. Just as she was about to get her first glimpse of one of the speakers, Sam was tapped on the shoulder from behind. _

"_There you are! I wondered if you'd decided to stay with Dad." _

_Sam whipped around to see Grace, who was aged about 16 this time. After recovering from the shock, Sam responded, "Uh... no… he seemed to just want me to admit that I… never mind." Sam stopped talking, completely unable to finish her sentence when faced with her teenage daughter._

_Grace looked at her shrewdly, as if curious about what she was about to say. Then in an instant she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, you're here now and that's all that counts. C'mon, we need to see this. It'll help you understand." Grace dragged Sam through the trees, not minding the noise she made, leaving Sam no choice but to follow. _

_They came upon four very recognisable people and Sam suddenly realised where they were. "This is 1969," she whispered._

"_Yeah, look at you all. Daniel looks even more like a geek than normal. Teal'c looks whacko and Dad's trying to be cool and failing. At least you had some dress sense," Grace critiqued them all as only a condescending teenager could. _

"_1969," Sam whispered again beside her, as if trying to grasp something from her memory._

"_Yes, Mom. Think! C'mon, I can't give you all the answers."_

_Just then the Sam beside the campfire spoke up. "A flare!"_

_Sam stiffened beside Grace. "Is that what you're trying to tell me?"_

_The scene abruptly changed in front of them and they were both in the gateroom at the SGC. The gate was active but the iris was closed. Sam looked up at the control room__and saw General Hammond, her team and Janet all waiting to see whose IDC was coming through and who'd be journeying to Earth. _

_The iris opened but to Sam's expert eye there didn't appear to be anyone en route. Then, just as her team and the others entered the gateroom, a small crumpled sheet of paper came through the gate and rolled down the ramp. The gate disconnected and all eyes stared at the paper, including Sam and Grace. Jack went forward and picked up the note, telling everyone else what it contained. _

_Sam gasped next to Grace. "You want me to send a letter back?"_

"_Yup!"_

_Sam began to panic. "No, I can't do that. I won't change the past like that!"_

"_C'mon, Mom. You have to or you don't get anything that we've shown you."_

"_But it goes against everything I believe in!" Sam almost wailed, stepping back from her daughter. _

"_And look where it got us, Carter!" Jack on the ramp turned to face her. "You're lonely and I'm pushing up daisies!"_

_Sam could feel tears beginning to run down her cheeks._

_Grace moved to stand beside Jack on the ramp, turning to face her mother. "It's simple, Mom. You have the technology now. Send a letter, change the future, and have… me!" she squealed, pointing to herself with glee. _

_Sam shook her head. "It's not that simple, Grace. We were apart for a reason. We were needed to save the planet with SG-1."_

_Jack moved towards her. "Carter, I think you're forgetting something. I asked you to the cabin after we defeated the Goa'uld…"_

_The scene rapidly changed again and Sam was back in the bed in the master bedroom in the cabin but awake this time, and she was angry. Jack had been talking and she wanted to know what he'd been about to say. Then she heard it._

"_Sam?" It was Jack's voice; she wasn't awake, after all. _

_Sam quickly got off the bed and made her way towards the door. Then a movement caught her eye out the window. She made her way to the small window and looked at herself and Jack standing at the railing of the small deck, next to a small table and chairs. She could remember this day like it was yesterday when it had, in fact, been over thirty years ago. Jack stood looking nervous as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, as if he were giving her the worst news possible. He was, Sam recalled. He was telling her that he was leaving, that he was being promoted to a job in DC._

"_Sam, I also told you that I wanted us, that I wanted you and me." Another Jack walked up behind her. He looked older, she noted, as she turned to him. "What're you afraid of Carter? Better yet, what is _she_ afraid of?" he asked as he put his arms around her and spoke into her ear, looking at the couple out on the deck discussing their future. _

"_How do you know that we'd have worked out?" Sam asked the question that had plagued her most of her adult life. _

_Jack turned her in his arms and hugged her, a crushing hug designed to scare all her demons away. "I know, Sam." He sighed. "We would've been amazing!"_

"_But do we have enough outside of work?" Sam leaned back and pulled out of his arms. "I always worried that we'd have nothing to talk about." She turned away from him as she spoke but not far away; she still craved his touch. _

_Jack reached out, as if reading her mind, and took hold of her hand. "Carter, I'm not saying that it'd be perfect. I'm grouchy. You're a perfectionist. It'd always be volatile, but a little bit of heat is always good in a relationship."_

"_Why didn't you say all this back then?" Sam asked, dipping her head to indicate the couple beyond the window. _

_Jack smiled, his eyes filling with unshed tears. "Because it took me a long time to realise that you had less confidence in yourself than you did in me." Jack slowly lowered his head and kissed her. It was long, powerful, and Sam almost stopped breathing. As he pulled back, Jack whispered, "See? Heat!"_

**AN: Please let me know if any of this was difficult to follow. More to come tomorrow.**


	12. Chapter 12

**The Letter – Chapter 12**

_**Ok, so I apologise for the delay, real life and all that. We are back in season 6 with this chapter and Jack reading the letter to Sam in her lab. Hope you all enjoy.**_

Jack squeezed Sam's hand and took a deep breath. He, too, believed that this letter would change the rest of his life. He began to read again.

"_Perhaps I should explain what has brought me to this momentous decision of sending this letter. Life was continuing very well, even without Jack in my life, but that changed one day when I was told of his death. He'd died peacefully, but alone at the cabin. That event was enough to shock me. Sam, I'm sure you can appreciate my feelings, especially if you've already met the delectable Mr O'Neill._"

Despite the gravity of the announcement of Jack's demise, the compliment about her CO made Sam giggle.

Jack looked at Sam and raised his eyebrows. "Hmmm…. delectable… huh!" he commented, then sat up straighter and preened a little under her gaze.

Sam shrugged her shoulders almost noncommittally. "Well, I guess... sometimes…" She smirked at him.

"Only sometimes?!" Jack huffed.

"Well, you have to admit, Sir, when you were covered in PX3 gloop it wasn't all that pretty!"

Jack smiled and looked past her dreamily. "Ah, yes, the mission that ended up with us all in the local pool!" He sighed. "I might not have looked great but you… wow!"

Sam took the opportunity to slap his arm. "You all promised not to look!" she said indignantly.

Jack did have the decency to look sheepish. "Yes… well... someone needed to protect your six… You do have a lovely one, after all!" He managed to duck away from her next slap, then turned to face her, his expression wearing the seriousness of what he said. "We're crossing the line here, Sam. You okay with that?"

The fact that he'd used the same words as he had after the za'tarc incident didn't escape Sam's notice. She looked at him, stared into his eyes, desperately trying to read them. Was she okay with this? Was she ready to give up SG-1 or the Air Force for him? She got off her stool and walked to the back of the lab. She needed to focus. She needed to answer his question.

After a few, excruciating minutes, watching her pace in the gloom at the back of her lab, Jack could take it no longer. "Talk to me, Carter. I don't care if you're not okay with crossing the line right now, but don't shut yourself off from me."

Sam turned to face Jack. They both needed to see each other. They could read each other so well. "I hate the line, Colonel… But I also love it." She shrugged, her eyes bright with unshed tears. Jack nodded; he completely understood her and, in all honesty, felt the same. Sam continued, "I want nothing more than to let this letter complete its job to be more to you than a 2IC but I can't be something else _and_ your subordinate. The line exists for a reason." Sam's shoulders fell and she was unable to smile. She was redrawing the line.

Jack sighed. He was tired, bone tired, of fighting against something that neither of them had the strength to fight indefinitely. "Carter… Sam," he began again, "The letter doesn't say to jump into bed together tonight… Well, not yet, anyway." Sam blushed but smiled at his comment. "I know it's over the line but how about we read the rest of the letter, agree to do nothing for now, but at least talk about this… And you know how I _love _talking about feelings!"

Although Jack finished in his usual sarcastic manner, Sam could tell that his statement was one of the most important he'd made in a long time, but she couldn't help but smile at his attempt at humour. She'd be lying, though, if she said that she didn't want to talk, even if it meant temporarily crossing the line for a discussion, so Sam nodded at him as she approached the desk again. "Yeah, I want to know what else I've written, as well, so let's deal with that first. Then we can talk about it when we're finished." She sat on her stool and took Jack's hand loosely in hers, more for comfort than anything else.

Jack started to read again.

"_However, the shock announcement of Jack's death caused some strange things to happen. I'm not sure I'd describe it as an hallucination or my subconscious taking more control than I normally allow it. Either way, over the next several days I experienced vivid dreams and visits from two people. One was Jack, perhaps a logical person to dream of, given the circumstances, but it was the other one that forced me to send this to you. _

"_I'm struggling to decide whether I should tell you or not. You know I have strong feelings about influencing the future but, given the step I've taken in writing, it feels right to share this with you. I was visited by my daughter – our daughter, Sam, ours and Jack's. I've seen her before in another situation that you may or may not have experienced yet_."

Jack looked at Sam and arched his brows in question but she shook her head. She had no knowledge of seeing her daughter – the thought alone was almost causing Sam to fall off her stool.

Jack quickly compartmentalised the idea of a daughter – he couldn't deal with that right now and continued to read.

"_Seeing her, talking to her, believing she could exist, is the reason I'm sending this to you. Grace deserves the chance to live, the chance I took from her when I turned Jack down. I missed the chance to marry Jack but, more importantly, I threw away the chance to be a mother. I always wanted to be a mother, ever since I was young, but I didn't take the opportunity. I should have grabbed it with both hands.__I beg you not to do the same_."

Jack stopped reading. "My Mom's name was Grace," he said quietly.

"Really?" Sam responded, still in shock at what she'd heard.

"Yeah." Jack looked at Sam appraisingly. "Bet she has golden hair and blue eyes," he said wistfully.

Sam smiled a watery smile, loving the thought but couldn't help but correct him. "You know that's highly unlikely scientifically. The blue-eye gene is recessive to brown."

Jack shrugged and rolled his eyes at her science. "Blue, brown, it doesn't really matter to me. What's the difference?"

Sam continued to smile at him. The letter was taking her to places she'd only dreamed about in her wildest dreams.

Jack looked at the clock. It was now 0500, time for the new day to start. He had a meeting with SG-6 in an hour. Trust Hammond to plan briefings that early when he was in DC and Jack was in charge. He was loath to leave the letter unfinished but he needed to get his head in gear for the job.

Sam's eyes followed his to the clock but she was making a different decision to the one Jack had made, unbeknownst to her. "We need to finish this now, Jack, together, or maybe we never will."

Jack nodded, conceding her point. He looked back down at the letter in his hands for a moment before continuing.

"_Sam, I'm not writing to you so you go out and find Jack O'Neill. He'll come to you soon enough. Actually, if you haven't already met it's unlikely that this letter will have reached you. So, I'll rephrase that. I'm not writing to force you to quit your job or change your life immediately. You're both needed in your job. You're both vital to the survival of this country and of Earth. _

"_But know that this fight does end. And, when it does, I ask you not to ignore the options in front of you. However, it has been made clear to me by both Jack and Grace that perhaps you don't have to fully wait until the war is over. _

"_I can't tell you what to do. I've no guarantee that changing your lives in this way doesn't bring other danger or sadness into your lives. All I know is that my own life wasn't complete without Jack in it. _

"_I also know the fears you have, Sam, of having a child. I know you fear it will be impossible, fear that you will be unable to conceive, fear that you won't be a good mother. These fears stopped me from talking to Jack, stopped me from taking a chance with him. I can't promise you a life full of children._

"_I believe I met our daughter but you and I both know that in an infinite set of realities something could happen to stop her existing with you. However, I will say that even if this was only a chance to have Jack in my life, I'd take it. He loves you, Sam, so much more than you know, so much more than you ever expected. Don't throw that away for anything. Change my life, Sam – for both of us_."

Jack put the letter down. It had been powerful to read and he expected it had been even more powerful to hear. Now all they had to do was decide what the heck they were going to do with the information.

**AN: Well that is the end of the letter, but there is still more to come. Thanks for continuing to read and give support. **


	13. Chapter 13

**The Letter – Chapter 13**

**So we have the penultimate chapter of The Letter. Back to the future and Sam has woken up in Jack's bed at the cabin after his funeral. Enjoy.**

General Samantha Carter turned over on the bed and woke this time. She could hear Daniel and Vala bickering in the kitchen but chose to move to the deck she'd been looking at with Jack in her dream. She was still reeling from her dream and half expected to see Jack fishing on the dock. Instead, she came upon Cassie sitting on one of the chairs, staring out over the lake.

Cassie turned as Sam came through the door and watched as she approached the table and chairs. "Did you sleep okay?" she asked quietly.

Sam was struggling to say anything in response to the simple question but nodded, if only to stop Cassie from questioning her further.

"I can see why he loved it here," Cassie murmured, the comment she'd made several times to Jack during her frequent visits to his home.

"So can I," Sam replied, sitting down beside her surrogate daughter.

There were a few moments of silence but Sam knew from experience that Cassie would start talking soon to fill the silence. She wasn't disappointed.

"Can I ask what your letter said?"

Sam turned to look her in the eye then focussed on a spot across the lake. "That he wants me to have the cabin for some reason. It's nice but I don't think I could live here. Do you and Chris want it? I don't mind."

"My letter gave me everything else. He says he's written a will that we'll have to collect but, apart from the cabin and some book for Daniel, he wants it all for us and the kids."

Sam smiled at the clearly bewildered younger woman. It had been that way for over 30 years, ever since Janet had died. Cassie may not have known it but she was the beneficiary of all SG-1's wills. Well, the human three, anyway.

"You knew?" Cassie asked, seeing the look on Sam's face.

Sam nodded and faced her; it was time for her to know. "After Janet died, you know the General and I got joint custody of you – you didn't really need it but legally that was the position. Neither we nor Daniel had children and, until that point, our wills had been very charity oriented. Having you in our lives, even though you weren't our biological daughter, changed that for all of us. We needed to know that no matter what happened to us, you'd be taken care of. So, you're the sole beneficiary of all our wills.

Cassie stared at Sam. She could believe they'd do this for her but it still came as a shock. It shouldn't have, considering Jack had given her the deposit for her first home, but it really was a shock. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked the only question that came to mind.

Sam sighed. There was no real reason, no deliberate attempt to keep her in the dark or anything. "We all found it difficult to talk about, I guess. The General and I were military so our wills were constantly being re-filed but it didn't make actually voicing what was in them any easier. So we changed our wills, having talked a little with each other, and hoped none of them would be needed for a long time. And they haven't been." Sam leaned back on the patio chair and closed her eyes, the memory of that time seeping through her mind.

Cassie, however, still needed to talk. "Can you still not call him Jack, even after all this time?" she asked quietly.

Sam wasn't quick enough to stop her mouth. "Oh, I could call him Jack. It just hurts too much to do that." Sam immediately opened her eyes, shocked at her own words. "Uh… I… didn't…" Sam stumbled through a denial.

"Stop, Sam. I've known you for almost forty years and that's the first time I've heard you being honest about your feelings for Jack."

Sam couldn't stop the tears slowly rolling down her face. She hadn't lost total control, she wasn't yet sobbing, but the vent was open and her emotions were out.

"Why did you never talk to him or get together?" Cassie asked, desperate to understand why the two people she loved as parents hadn't lived their lives together. "He wanted that. I know he did."

Sam looked at Cassie, her eyes pleading for Cassie not to push it, but she could lie no longer. "I don't know. I don't know why, but I wish I'd done something."

Cassie got up out of her seat to pull the older, now sobbing woman into her arms. "I miss him, Cass. I've missed him for the last twenty-five years."

"I know, I know." Cassie rocked Sam gently as she did her own children when they were upset. "I wish I'd pushed you both, made you see sense," Cassie whispered into Sam's hair.

"I love him so much, Cass. The pain of it never goes away."

"Oh, Sam, I wish there was something we could do."

It was a benign statement, meant almost like you'd use a rhetorical question, not deserving an answer or comment in response, but Sam seized on it. She pulled away from Cassie, a far-off look in her eyes.

"What is it? Are you okay?" Cassie asked, straightening up beside her.

"Yes, just remembering something." _Something vitally important!_ Sam finished the thought internally.

"Okay…" Cassie stood back, surprised at the change in emotions of her friend.

"Cass! Sam! Dinner's here!" Daniel called from inside the cabin. Cassie left the table but Sam stayed seated. Her mind was reeling. She rarely believed in 'signs' – her logical mind preferring evidence – but, after the dreams she'd had, she felt that Cassie's comment was indeed a sign. With it had come the realisation that she already had the power in her hands to execute the plan Grace had hinted at.

"You coming, Sam?" Cassie called her from the door.

"Hmmm… No… I'd like to just be here to think. Could you possibly…" Sam really didn't like to ask for anything.

"I'll make up a plate of food for you. Hopefully, Daniel won't have let Vala make all the choices!" They both smiled, remembering the alien's preference for weird combinations of Earth food.

"Just something light, please, Cass."

"Sure. I'll be two minutes."

Cassie left and Sam sat back in the chair once again, closing her eyes.

"_I see that big ol' brain of yours has figured it all out!" _

_Sam opened her eyes to see Jack sitting opposite her. She immediately knew that she was dreaming again, which surprised her because she usually took longer to fall asleep. She smiled at him, a Sam Carter special smile. "The data I collect every month so that in the future Cassie can send us back."_

"_Gotcha!" Jack smiled warmly._

"_Like a self-fulfilling prophecy?" Sam murmured._

"_That's what you said the first time around."_

_Sam smiled. "Yeah, but I didn't know how much work I'd have to do so she had the data." She looked at Jack to try and read his emotions. She was shocked to find his eyes unguarded. They were full of love for her, so much more than she'd ever known he felt._

"_Did I ever tell you we met like this before? In a dream, I mean?"_

_Jack's face got a little sadder. "No… but Grace did. You know that wasn't me, Carter, don't you?"_

"_It was my subconscious," Sam agreed reluctantly. _

"_Grace was real. She was trying to get you to admit how you felt about me."_

"_And all I did was find a new boyfriend," Sam said despondently. _

"_Yeah… that really sucked, Carter!"_

_Sam giggled. She hadn't thought about the incident on the Prometheus or its aftermath in a long time._

_Jack reached over the table and took her hand. "Sam, I was always a safe bet. Not because I kept you from others but because I loved you. Still do… totally and completely. Just trust in that, Carter, and you'll make the right decision."_

_The emotion was too much for Sam. She had to make a quip to lighten the moment. "When did you get so wise, mister?"_

_Jack looked at her, tears forming in his eyes. "When you turned me down and walked out of my life." They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, both sets of eyes welling with the emotionally charged moment. "You know how to change this, Carter. Go save us. Save yourself from this."_

_Sam was about to speak but Jack interrupted her. "I know that changing the past may result in a future where we don't win the war or something happens to one of us. I know you're afraid of that but we deserve the chance, Sam. You and I were meant to be together."_

"_For a guy who doesn't do feelings that was some speech."_

_Jack blushed. "Yeah, well, I had thirty years to perfect it!" He grasped both of Sam's hands. "Take a chance, Sam. Take a chance on me." Jack leaned over and kissed her. Sam closed her eyes and could feel him disappearing. _

Sam opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by the others at the cabin.

"Oh, thank God!" Cassie exclaimed.

Sam looked around, bewildered. Cassie had her stethoscope on and Daniel had his cell to his ear.

"Sam, c'mon, talk to us!" Vala pleaded.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked clearly.

"No slurred speech," Cassie stated like the doctor she was. "Raise your arms for me."

Sam looked at her strangely but did what she asked.

"No disability, her face hasn't slipped, we can rule out a stroke."

"Of course I haven't had a stroke!" Sam said forcibly. "What on earth made you think that?"

Daniel finished his call. "She seems fine, General. Thanks for your help."

"You called the SGC!" Sam protested loudly.

"We couldn't get you to wake up," Cassie said. "I was worried that today might have been too much for you."

Sam's face softened. "I'm sorry I scared you but I'm fine, really. What's for dinner?" Sam looked at the food brought out for her – a nice salad and some fish. Very nice. The others looked on as she took her plate easily and began to eat as if she hadn't a care in the world. They all slowly took their seats around her. Sam did have cares – well, really only one – and the moment she got home she'd put her plan into action. She'd send a letter to herself to change the future. She could only hope that she wasn't too stubborn to read it.

**AN: And so we have come full circle. Only to epilogue to go – Did Sam and Jack actually listen to the advice or was Sam too stubborn to follow the letter's guidance?**


	14. Chapter 14

**The Letter – Chapter 14**

**And now to the epilogue where we find out if the Sam and Jack in Season 6 actually listened to the advice given to them. **

Colonel Carter stood looking out over the lake in Minnesota. She was thinking how strange it felt to be there. Not because she hadn't been before, because she had, but this time it was special. This time it was their home. Sam had installed Asgard technology to allow them to work in the Pentagon, the SGC or Area 51 during the day but sleep at the cabin every night. She patted her rounded belly. That had been the reason for the decision.

She and Jack had gotten together just last year, nearly a year after the letter from the future had arrived. They weren't married, although the legal status of their relationship didn't worry her. They were together and that was all that mattered. They were each other's next of kin and now they were going to be parents. They'd found out only the day before that, like the letter had predicted, they were having a girl – a daughter. Sam had had to practically pull Jack down off the ceiling when he'd heard and, ever since, he'd been so excited.

Sam sighed as she looked out over their lake and forest. Never in her wildest dreams could she ever have imagined that she'd be as happy as this.

It hadn't been an easy road to get to where they were now. It certainly hadn't been an easy decision to remain on SG-1 after the letter had arrived. However, the pressure of the secret communication had been so great that they'd eventually confided in General Hammond. They'd even shown him the letter. He'd been surprised but proud of their decision not to have a personal relationship while the SGC needed SG-1. However, it hadn't been easy to live with, especially when Janet and Jack had been seriously injured on a mission to save SG-13. Both had survived, miraculously, because of new inserts made for the SG vests, but it had been touch and go for both of them.

That day had been the day Sam had decided that enough was enough. Having met Grace while stranded on the Prometheus, she'd decided that she wanted the family that the Sam in the letter had offered her. Grace had also given her an extra piece of information that allowed Earth to be protected from any threats that the Goa'uld could make.

Jack had complained when he'd realised that the vital clue would be found in Antarctica as he'd vowed never to set foot on that continent again. In all fairness, though, Sam had admitted that he didn't have a great track record from his two previous visits. However, after much cajoling and a large cake made by Sam herself – chocolate, of course – Jack had been persuaded to go and they'd found the ancient weapon and discovered that Jack could actually work it. It had been fully charged and Sam and Daniel had found a recharge mechanism hidden beneath the cavernous ice. Shortly thereafter, they'd managed to destroy an entire fleet of Goa'uld ships using their new weapon before it had even entered Earth's atmosphere, and word had gotten around the galaxy that the Tau'ri were not to be messed with.

Everything had moved quite quickly after that. General Hammond had retired, leaving Jack in command of the SGC. Daniel had begun to seriously search for Atlantis after finding writings about it in Antarctica, and Teal'c had gone to help the Free Jaffa, leaving Sam without a team.

It had been at that point that the President had stepped in and, without knowing it, had offered Sam everything she'd ever wanted. He'd given her a promotion and decided that, given the reduction to the threat facing Earth, her expertise would be better used at Area 51. At the time she hadn't been able to tell who'd been more excited about the change in her order, her or Jack. He'd practically bounced into her lab to make the announcement, followed by the revelation that the President had commented that the move would allow them to pursue a personal relationship. You could have knocked Sam over with a feather. Needless to say, they'd wasted little time in organising her transfer and their first date, which had happened on the same day.

Going on a date had been a very nerve-wracking experience for Sam. They'd spent time together before going out but, still, the idea of dating her CO and the love of her life had Sam running around her house like a headless chicken, trying to get ready. Jack was taking her to dinner at a small, quaint restaurant that was, she had been reliably informed, "very romantic". That notion alone meant that Sam had no clue what to wear and Cassie and Janet had been of absolutely no use, both giggling on the sofa as Sam had paraded outfit after outfit in front of them. Both had been of the opinion that Sam could wear a black bin liner and Jack would still look at her with adoration.

Sam smiled at the memory of that night. In part, her best friend had been right. Sam had finally selected an outfit and Jack had stood, simply agog, looking at her when she'd opened the door. Her nerves had decreased but the butterflies in her stomach had seemed to be waging war. It had been a good night, though. The restaurant had indeed been very romantic and Jack had opened doors, pulled chairs out for her, and finally paid for their delicious meal.

As Sam stood there reminiscing, she heard a quiet click behind her as the cabin door opened and then closed. She didn't have to turn around to know that Jack had come to join her. The brief opening of the door let her hear the background noise of her friends all enjoying their evening. Jack's arms weaved loosely around her middle and she relaxed back into his embrace

"Whatcha doin'?" Jack asked the question that he was famous for.

"Just admiring the view. It's gorgeous, Jack."

"Yeah, I know. Even better view when _you're_ in it," he mumbled into her hair while kissing her neck.

Sam slapped his wrist. "Stop trying to score points, Jack."

"It's not point scoring when it's true."

Sam turned her head and smiled at him. "Can you believe that in three months there'll be a baby here?"

"It's amazing." Jack kissed Sam gently then cleared his throat, acutely aware that he couldn't let things get out of hand. "You're missing all the fun, you know. Cassie just dared Daniel to a game of Pictionary and you know how competitive he gets."

"Mmmm." Sam nodded absentmindedly then turned completely in Jack's arms and leaned back against the railing. "Are you happy, Jack?"

"You know I am. Why'd you ask?"

Sam smiled at his answer. "Because I'm deliriously happy and I just needed to make sure you're on the same page as I am."

Jack's face broke into a large smile. "Honey, I've been on this page since the minute you walked out of your house on our first date in that smokin' dress. I can't believe that we're here or that we owe it to a letter from the future, but I'm so pleased that we opened the gate that night and let the letter through."

"Me, too." Sam smiled up at Jack. Just then there was a crash from inside the cabin. "Jack! If Daniel's broken my nice new glasses that I had to search for a whole day to select I am _not_ going to be a happy camper."

Jack closed his eyes; he knew he'd forgotten one important task before coming to find her out on the deck.

"If I remind you that I'm the father of your daughter, will you go easy on me?"

Sam pulled away from him and started walking towards the cabin when there was another loud crash. "Pretty sure nothing's going to save you now, Flyboy!"

Jack watched as Sam opened the door to scold her over-exuberant friends. He might be in the dog house for a day but he could easily replace the glasses now he knew where to find them. Nothing was going to get in the way of the happiness they had, all thanks to a letter from the future.

**AN: Obviously the story has moved from canon. Just wanted to say thanks to my beta for her hard work and thank you to all of you who have reviewed, followed or simply read this story. I know some of you may think the ending could have been longer, but I felt it was going to end up being a completely separate story. I wanted to leave it here with the happy ending. I hope you all have a very merry Christmas or good holiday – depending whether you celebrate or not. Thanks again.**


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